Karate will offer Kenya wider scope for medal hunt at African Games

Source: Xinhua| 2019-08-19 23:12:26|Editor: huaxia
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NAIROBI, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan karate players hope to live their dream of making their first show at the Olympics by nailing their tickets at the African Games in Rabat, Morocco.

With a contingent of 10 karateka - six men and four women, Kenya targets to widen its medal brackets and offer some relief to the pressure on track and field that has carried the country in major competitions, as karate will make its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020 with qualification points available in Rabat.

"The African Games are critical to us because apart from winning the country medals, they offer points for direct qualification to the Tokyo Olympics. It is every player's dream to compete at the Olympics and it starts at the African Games," captain David Kimani said on Monday.

Anthony Amani is the only Kenyan Karateka to have won a medal, a bronze, in the 2011 African Games in Maputo, Mozambique.

But the captain is hopeful, with better representation and exposure given to the team, it is time they repaid the trust and support accorded to them by dominating the medal podium in Rabat.

"They have been there for some time and they don't miss any event, but we have our challenges, even after training for a championship we fail to attend due to lack of funds. But that has changed. We have been supported and now it is time to deliver medals," the captain added.

Kenya will be keen to break the continental pecking order for karate with Algeria, Egypt, Congo, Senegal, Cameroon and South Africa having dominated before.

Head coach John Owiti is confident to secure medals for Kenya. "There are no issues of player quotas to disturb us. We now want to go and show what Kenya has in talent from karate," he noted.

The Kenya team departs for Morocco on Monday with karate competitions being scheduled between August 24-26. Enditem

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